Stock Up Before the Hoarders Get It

Curses, Foiled AgainPolice arrested Michael Trias, 20, after they said he broke into a home in Mesa, Ariz., and became stuck in a clothes hamper underneath the window he climbed through. The homeowner, who heard Trias trying to untangle himself from the clothes, restrained him and called police. (Mesa’s East Valley Tribune)

• Returning to a pizzeria in Rotterdam, N. Y., after hours to investigate an alarm, general manager Josh Risko discovered that someone tried to break in through a roof vent but had gotten stuck where the 18-inch-wide vent makes a 45-degree bend. “I come in, turn off the alarms, take a peek into the kitchen and see this guy’s legs dangling out of the hood over the stove,” Risko said. Police arrested Timothy Cipriani, 46, who was covered head to toe in grease from the vents. (Albany’s WXXA-TV)

Stock Up Before the Hoarders Get ItFire officials investigating an explosion that blew the roof off a home in Gobles, Mich., noted two barrels of gasoline had been in the basement. The homeowner explained she was stockpiling gas because the price keeps going up. (Kalamazoo’s WWMT-TV)

• Panic buying in China drove up the price of salt by as much as 10 times after radiation began leaking at a nuclear plant in Japan because people mistakenly believed the iodine in the salt could stop radiation sickness. The state-owned newspaper China Daily reported national sales of salt, normally 15,400 tons a day, peaked at 370,000 tons on March 17. When stores ran out of salt, people grabbed soy sauce, which also contains iodine. After learning that radiation from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant posed little threat to distant China, the hoarders clamored for refunds. Most were denied. “We can’t offer refunds on food products,” a worker at a Beijing Wal-Mart store said. (Los Angeles Times and Reuters)

FirebuggeryA 52-year-old man told police in Lynnwood, Wash., that he set his motel room on fire because Satan was in there and he wanted to protect “the good people.” Officials at the Days Inn said the unidentified man, who’d been staying there for a month, repeatedly called employees the “anti-Christ” and “spawns of Satan.” (Everett’s The Herald)

• Authorities in Cook County, Ill., charged Johnell Walker, 28, with starting a fire that spread through his apartment building by lighting a coconut-sized “firecracker” or “type of bomb” during an argument with his girlfriend. Prosecutor Erin Antonietti said the blast left Walker’s 6-month-old daughter with severe brain injuries, and the fire forced many of Walker’s neighbors in the 26-unit building to jump out of their windows and porches to reach safety. (The Chicago Sun-Times)

When Guns Are OutlawedPolice in Dunbar Township, Pa., arrested Robert Eckhart, 42, and Stacie Moorman, 37, after the two assaulted each other with frying pans while arguing. (Pittsburgh’s WPXI-TV)

• Police charged Howard Schultz, 69, with impersonating a law enforcement officer after he stood in the middle of a street in Pompano Beach. Fla., ordering motorists to pull over and waving a 10-inch barbecue fork at them. One motorist obeyed, according to the arrest report, telling Broward County sheriff’s deputies he feared for his life. (Miami’s WTVJ-TV)

New-Time ReligionA new application for iPhones and iPads helps Catholics gain absolution for their sins. “Confession: A Roman Catholic App” is a password-protected, customizable guide to performing the sacrament that lets the faithful check whether their behavior conforms to Scriptures by asking such questions as, “Have I been involved in occult practices?” Although its developer, Patrick Leinen, said he was inspired by Pope Benedict XVI’s call to Roman Catholics to put digital technology to good use, the Vatican stressed that it’s impossible to confess by iPhone. “The rites of penance require a personal dialog between penitents and their confessor,” Vatican official Federico Lombardi said. “It cannot be replaced by a computer application.” (Agence France-Presse)

• The Vatican unveiled a Facebook page dedicated to the beatification of Pope John Paul II, scheduled for May. The site links to video highlights of the late pontiff’s 27-year reign. The Vatican also announced that its new web portal, expected to be launched at Easter, would be a news aggregator offering contents specifically designed to be posted, tweeted and blogged. (Associated Press)

Compiled from the press reports by Roland Sweet. Authentication on demand.